Southwest
Border state lawmaker sounds alarm on bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang entering US: ‘They have no rules’
A congressman whose district is along the southern border is warning about the dangers posed by a bloodthirsty Venezuelan street gang whose presence has grown in the United States amid the ongoing migrant crisis.
“This gang in several years is going to be the dominant transnational criminal organization throughout the United States. There’s no doubt in my mind,” Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in an interview.
Last month, a CBP source provided Fox with an internal intelligence bulletin revealing tattoos and identifiers for Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Venezuelan street gang. Members of that gang have been entering the U.S. illegally through the southern border.
The gang drew additional attention when it emerged that the brother of the suspect in the killing of Georgia student Laken Riley had ties to the gang. Both are Venezuelan illegal immigrants.
OPINION: VENEZUELAN GANGS ARE IMPORTING NEXT-LEVEL BRUTALITY, FEAR TO OUR STREETS
These images from a CBP intelligence bulletin show tattoos and identifiers for Tren De Aragua. (Fox News )
TdA is said to specialize in extortion, kidnapping, murder and sex trafficking. Federal authorities have been warning that the gang is trying to establish itself in the U.S., where police are already linking it to organized crime. The FBI has also warned that the gang could team up with the bloodthirsty MS-13.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
“They’re very vicious. They have no rules. They gobble up territory almost like a cancer,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales, who represents a majority Hispanic district, says the arrivals are part of a change in the flow of immigration across the border.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, outside the U.S. Capitol as the House voted to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act June 24, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“Immigration isn’t new to us. We’ve lived it for decades, but it’s no longer Mexican nationals coming over looking for work,” Gonzales said. “It’s no longer passive people just trying to kind of mosey about their business. It is a different element of people.
“They’re more aggressive, they’re demanding and they’re culturally not the same. And that’s why, once again, a district 70% Hispanic, the people in my district had enough. They’re like, ‘To hell with these people. They’re coming over. I don’t feel safe. They’re very aggressive.’ And you know what? If someone knocked on my door and they had face tattoos with teardrops … I probably wouldn’t feel safe either.”
BLOODTHIRSTY VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA SETS UP SHOP IN US AS BORDER AUTHORITIES SOUND ALARM
On visits to the border in the El Paso Sector, he said, officials had told him migrants will be afraid of TdA members when in detention. He also pointed to oil thefts in other parts of the border.
He said the response should be “immediate repercussions.”
“So Border Patrol has to have the tools where they can vet some of these people far more than what is happening,” Gonzales said, warning that people are just “cycling through.”
He also said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has to be strong and nationally present.
“You have to have ICE have the ability to go around and actively hunt these criminal aliens that have committed crimes, hunt them down and deport them,” Gonzales said. “That has to happen. And when it does happen, it can’t happen in a vacuum. People have to know what’s happening. And it can’t just happen in one part of the country. It has to happen throughout the country.”
He also called for a “seamless” mission and cooperation between local, state and federal officials.
“And I think the communities that do that, I think Texas will be at the forefront of this,” Gonzales said. “The communities that do that will be the ones that do not have this issue years from now.”
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Los Angeles, Ca
Watch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA
The star-studded feel-good giveback event of the summer has returned. KTLA 5 is teaming up once again with Project Angel Food for the annual “Lead with Love: Going the Distance” telethon to raise critical funds for medically tailored meals delivered to people living with serious illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. The seventh annual telethon airs […]
Los Angeles, Ca
Woman ambushed, violently attacked by robber in downtown Long Beach
A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was violently attacked by a robber in downtown Long Beach. On June 18, Jennifer Silva, 34, was attending a World Cup watch party at a Hooters restaurant at 90 Aquarium Way. After the game ended, she left the restaurant just before 11 p.m. As she walked […]
Los Angeles, Ca
Jury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire
Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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